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Revenge Is the Raging Fire That Consumes the Arsonist
As expected, her father came to her chambers late in the afternoon, after Ursa had finished up her tea and snacks. She had planned to have a walk in the gardens before dinner, but her father made sure to ruin any hope of that.
“What did you just pull in court?” he snapped. “Do you know what Lord Volkov just brought to me? This is the afternoon paper with all of the details of this morning’s court news! And in the political section, what do I find? ‘Empress Romanova Vasil Adds Last Minute Romanov Tradition to New Year’s Banquet: Explosive Cultural Precedent!’” he read.
Ursa flicked her wrist that was code to Cecily and Emery to vacate the room. “It’s as you read, Father.” Ursa calmly put down the book she was in the middle of reading on the coffee table. Ursa knew that he would come to confr
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Where Loyalties Lie I'm Replacing You And You're Scared
The arrival of the snow signaled for court to be adjourned for the rest of the year. As the officials funneled into the great hall outside the throne room, Orlov stopped Ursa on her own way out.“Your Majesty, would you spare a minute for me?” Ursa nodded and followed Orlov out, leaving Ivan to be swarmed by officials who wanted to run something by him last minute. Orlov guided her to the Emperor’s study, where they both sat opposite each other on the sofas. Ursa folded her hands neatly in front of her, waiting for Orlov to make the first move. She was sure he was about to criticize another aspect of the banquet, but she would not prompt him.“You’re a cunning woman, Your Majesty.”“What?” That was not quite what Ursa expected him to say.
Where Loyalties Lie I Know Who You Are I
Ivan watched from his window as the people of the capital funneled to the large square in the center of the city that stood right in front of the large terrace that was used to make important addresses to the people. Right at that moment, Ursa should be on her way to make her entrance, which Ivan will follow soon after. He had Ursa prepare the opening remarks much to Orlov’s dismay. The two had met alone while Ivan was busy and now they refused to speak to each other, leaving Ivan at a loss. Neither refused to speak about the meeting, so there was no way Ivan could mediate.It was an unusual position for him to be in, seeing as Orlov was usually the one to mediate any spats Ivan found himself tangled in, or Ursa if that particular spat was with Orlov.The door closed gently from behind Ivan, signaling the arrival of Orlov. He had sent a message earl
Where Loyalties Lie I Know Who You Are II
No.It wasn’t possible.Yes, Ursa and her brother had their disagreements-- far too many in the past week-- but not even he would actively try to kill her? Wouldn’t her father have stopped him? Was she not still a necessary pawn in his futile Jex game?All of these thoughts coursed through her head like a rushing stream as she fell from the high terrace and onto the cold, hard pavement below.How could he have done it during her speech? Did he really just kill so many people? Ursa’s heart hurt so much, so much more than any real physical pain she felt, if she could feel at all. Her entire body went numb, unable to feel the numerous cuts, burns, bruises, and punctures that littered her limbs, nor the blunt force trauma that her head was
Where Loyalties Lie From the Wreckage
Both Orlov and Ivan knew the terrible truth. That this was an act of terrorism on behalf of the Romanov people, brought forth by the lost prince of the Romanovs himself. Now they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.If they exposed the crime for what it was, Ursa’s reputation would nose-dive. There would be calls for her to be deposed, exiled, or worse, executed. Not only that, but the ethnic tensions that Ursa had begun working to repair would be in shambles once more-- and perhaps be irreparable. The division between the Romanovs and the Vasils would be too great to fix, and the other smaller groups in the Empire would surely pick a side, and Orlov feared that it would not be theirs.This moment could very well be the twilight of this fledgling empi
Where Loyalties Lie Some Things Change... And Others Don't
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Where Loyalties Lie Aisha's Scheming
The Vasil princess proved to be a thorn in Ursa’s side. She was already on edge from the events of the past couple weeks, not to mention being edged out of court by her husband and his stupid advisor-- really, Ivan was far too forgiving.Ursa wasn’t.She didn’t forgive Orlov, and she didn’t forgive the little Vasil princess for all of her slights toward Ursa and the Romanovs. She had simply had enough from everyone else, and she was not about to continue to take it from some ignorant little girl who had not been back in her home country in years.And yet, Princess Aisha thought she was being furtive, hiding around pillars and corners of the hallway, or camping out on the large tree right outside of Ursa’s chambers. At dinner time, the princess would sneak glances at Ur
Where Loyalties Lie When Ursa's Boredom Gets The Best Of Her
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Where Loyalties Lie A Classic Game of War
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